Cylinder support means for rotary tape printing presses



Feb. 9, 1954 G. G. THOMPSON 2,668,496

CYLINDER SUPPORT MEANS FOR ROTARY TAPE PRINTING PRESSES Filed June 22,1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR. 6:471 020 6. 7' HOMPJ 0/1 Feb. 9,1954 e. G. THOMPSON 2,668,496

CYLINDER SUPPORT MEANS FOR ROTARY TAPE PRINTING PRES-SE3 Filed June 22,1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 I I -3 E INVENTOR. GAVLOED 6. THOMPSON BY WATTOPIVL'VS.

Feb. 9, 1954 e. G. THOMPSON 2,668,4

CYLINDER SUPPORT MEANS FOR ROTARY TAPE PRINTING PRESSES Filed June 22,1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 52 /0/Z6 54 56 50 50 /8 ("'41 m7; J L I R F; 4 48'L E) 2 0 m J M 42 46 46 4a INVENTOR.

6,4 VL OIQD 6T THOMPSON Patented Feb. 9, 1954 CYLINDER SUPPORT MEANS FORROTARY TAPE PRINTING PRESSES Gaylord G. Thompson, Redwood City, Calif.,as-

signor to Thomco Mfg. 00., Inc., Redwood City, Calif., a corporation ofCalifornia Application June 22, 1951, Serial No. 233,033 2 Claims. (01.101-178) This invention relates to printing apparatus, and moreparticularly to improvements in web type rotary printers of that classadapted to print multi-color impressions, with said improvementsrelating to means for mounting the inking and printing rolls withrespect to each other and the platen, whereby relative adjustment ofthese elements may be simply and quickly made to obtain the propercontactual pressures therebetween andto obtain the proper correlation ofthe successive printings made on the webor tape by the plurality ofprinting rolls.

1 Among the objects of the invention are the fol lowing: the provisionof a printer embodying means for bodily moving a printing roll and itsassociated inking roll toward and away from the platen and means forpivotally adjusting the printing roll and inking roll as a unit withrespect to the platen; the provision of a printer embodying meansadjustably mounting the printing roll for swinging movement toward andaway from the inking roll; and the provision of a printer having aprinting roll provided with a printing surface adjustably mounted forendwise movement and for rotative movement relative to the platen.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent fromthe following description taken in conjunction with the drawings formingpart of this specification, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a printer embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view taken along lines 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation taken from the side of the printeropposite to that of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view in section taken along line 4 4 of Fig. 2;

v Fig. 5 is a view in longitudinal section of the multiadjustableprinting roll of the apparatus; and Fig. 6 is a view of an adjustingmechanism.

Referring to the drawings for more specific details of the invention,the printer is provided with a supporting frame comprising a pair ofopposed end frames I0 having legs l2 interconnected by cross members l4and I6. Carried by and secured to the cross members M of the end framesI0 is an open-topped rectangular carriage bed 18 which has secured toopposite sides thereof posts 20 and 22 serving as the journal supportsfor a shaft 24 having secured thereto a platen 26. Shaft 24 has threesprockets 28, "and 32 affixed thereto.

The carriage bed I8 is provided with guide grooves 34 in the outer sideWalls thereof, said grooves serving to receive inturned feet 36 ofvertically disposed skirt plates 38 secured to the outer sides ofcarriage plates 46, said carriage plates being mounted in this manner oneach side of the platen 26 for guided sliding movement on the bed [8toward and away from the platen. Plates 46 areprovided with dependentflanges 42 having in threaded engagement therewith worm shafts 44, saidshafts 44 being r0 tatably supported in the end walls of: carriage bedl8 and in transverse webs 46 integral with said bed. The worm shafts maybe. anchored to the webs 46 as by thrust collars 48 secured to theshafts. At their outer ends the shafts are provided with feed handles50. Rotation of the shafts through the medium of the handles iseffective to move the carriage plates 46 either toward or away from theplaten 26.

Roller carriages, indicated generally at v52 comprising bottom walls 54and spaced side walls 56, are pivotally mounted on carrier plates 40, asby pivot bolts 58. Journalled in the side walls 56 of the carriages areshafts 66 having secured thereon inking rolls 62. The rolls 62 arepartially immersed in ink 64 carried by trays 66, preferably of asuitable acid proof plastic, said trays being removably secured in anysuitable manner between the carriage walls 56. The rolls 62 are providedwith'doctor bars 68 adjustably mounted between the side walls, said barsbeing adjustable by set screws 16 to vary their degree of ink scavengingin order to obtain the desired ink film for the printing operation.

Pivotally secured to the side walls of the roller carriages are sets ofradius arms 72. The radius arms of the right handcarriage, as viewed inFig. 4, serve as the bearing supports for a shaft 14 having securedthereon a first impression printing roll 16. The radius arms of the lefthand carriage serve as bearing supports for a shaft 18 having slidablymounted thereon a sec ond impression printing roll80. outwardly of theroll 80, the shaft 18 is provided, as indicated in Fig. 5, with threadedportions 82 and 84. Roll is adjustably secured to the shaft 16 betweenthrust washers 86 and 88 which are keyed to the shaft, as indicated at90 and 92, and maintained in pressing engagement with the ends of theroll by nuts 94 and 96 in threaded engagement, respectively, withthreaded portions 82 and 84 of the shaft.

1 Each of the radius arms 12 is provided with an outwardly projecting'pivotally mounted hub eleme'nt 90 transversely apertured and internallythreaded to receive the threaded end of a set screw I00. The set screwsI extend through pivotally mounted hub elements I02 carried by carriageside walls 56 and are in opposite hand threaded engagement with said hubelements. Rotativezmovement f *the setisorews I00" serves torocklthe-iradius arms either toward :or raway from the inking rolls 82,and by adjusting these set screws the proper contactual relation betweenthe printing rolls I0. and .80 and .their respective inking rolls 62 maybe'obtained.

Any slight rotative adjustment ofthe'i'nking and printing roll sets asamnit'..with.:.reSp'ectit0: the platen 26 is obtainable hy=means ofsetscrews I04 which are in threaded engagement with brackets I06 andcontactual enga ment with=.the.-

walls 54 of the carriages 52. The bracket I06 are fixedly secured tocarrier plates 51I ani:l=:it will be appreciated that rotative movementof the twowset screws I:04 :.of eachacarriage. in;oppo- '=sitedirections will serve to pivotally. move .the

carriage about :the vpivot bolt 58. .Set' screws: 1:08 extending[through skirt plates 99 serve .to secure .thecarriageiplates mto: thebed. I9.

The conveying system.v for the .tape 'II01to he printed comprises feedroll .I I2 rotatably mounted .onsspindle I\I 4:carried;.by 19 st 29;.carrier or-idler rolls; I t6: and ail-8 .fixed 'respectively, .toshafts: I and 2, with shaft I20 beingjournalled for retat-ionincrossarmw-Iimsecured tozpost 20,..and with shaft I622 .being, journalledfor rotation in post 20;. and rewindroll I26 mountedion shaftIltjournalled. .for rotation in arm I30 carried :by post 20. Thesurfaces of .idler rolls I I5. and 'Izl8aare knurled, era-finelygrooved, toprevent a gummedatapefromadhering totherolls as thetapeisoonveyed to the rewind roli 29.

The tapedrive .systemadapted to cause the .tapeto bemovedfrom feed rollI I0, aroundp-laten 2E in successive engagement with printing 10118 1 6.and :80, over idler rolls I: I 6 and I. L0 \to rewind rollIlfitcomprisesrmotor I32 havingfahelt drive connection I34 with .avariable speed transmission L35, .the output shaft-39 of which-carriessprocket. I \in driving relation to. chain I dzpassing; over. sprocket23 on .platen shaft. 24:; .9. .drive take-.ofi..-.irom shaft24wcomprising sprocket .92, chain I44 in driving =relationzto sprocketsI40,

1411, 50.21.116.192 carried, respectively, by idler imllishait:I20.,.idler1roil shaft I122, stub. shaft I54 iournalled. inarm I539,- andvstub =-shat I96 ,iournalieddntarm L24; ;adrive take-0Efrom stub sha'it I:54;to. rewind roll I26 comprisingggear 1:58

carried on shaft I54 and in mesh withggear lm carried on. stub. shaft1:82. journalledx inzarm i I30, saidzgear I I being in drivingrelation-withrewindimll. shaft I28 which, in turn, hasv an automaticallyadjustable friction drive, not shown, with the rewind roll I-i'fi tocompensateior the variable surface :speed of the tapeas th :taperollonmewindroll. I26 increases in diameter; and another 1 drivetalic-off from-shat t :24 comprising Sprocket 30, chain 62 passingaround idler sprockets 1'04 mounted for rotation on post 'ifig sprocketsI'fii on shafts IE8 coincidingwiththe pivotal-axessofrradius arms llsprockets I"I'0 carried oninking roll. shafts fi0; idlerwsprockets=I'I2 mounted "for rotation .on arms HA secured to-end frames I 0, idlersprockets I 15 carried onshafts I18 iournalled in the side ofhed; I0;and vertically adjustable idler sprocket I89 carriedeon rshaft I82residing within slot I841cf:pos-t-20; ami adrive take-off from shaftsI68 .to the printing.rolls..-16 and 80-comprising gears I89 on shafts.LES in -42o:d'rivaIcly connect gears F88 -with'variasbly sized gearsI90 and I92, such variation in these latter ears occurring when theprinting rolls and at- .tachedgearsiiifland I92 are removed to bereiplaced vwithp'rinting rolls of other sizes.

With the drive system in operation, reference being hadtd Fig-manechains I42, I44 and I65 travel in--acounter-clockwise direction to causetIrenJIatcn'2'6,tl'retape feed roll II2, inking rolls 62,.idler .rolls:tlfizand H8, and rewind roll I26 to travel in the same direction.Printing rolls I6- and travel in a clockwise direction. The tape IIOthus travels in a counter-clockwise directionLfrom-iffeed roll 5 I t'Z-to rewind roll I26.

With :the :drive system operating as described, theroller carriagesfitmay be backed away from platen 26-, without necessitating any stoppingor thecdrivesystemgby rotation oiworm shafts This backing away-,.asaunit, ofeach hiking and printing roll :set enables the ready adjustmentof the printing rolls with respect to'theinking rolls to :place the'type'orr-" the printing rolls -and to obtain the desired; oontactua lpressure "between the printing and inking "rolls, such adjustment beingmade by means or the set screws I00.

-ehBIl the proper "adjustment has been mada the r carriages 52 are movedtoward "the platens'to gagement ivith'the tape, this quay-be done, aspreviously described, by adjustment of the set screws I04.

If, after a 'test run of-pri'nting has been-made; it is "found that thesecond printing impression made "by roll 89' 'does' not register 5mthe=desired complementary manner with 1 the first printing impressionmade by roll I8, the roll 80 may be adjusted lengthwise of "itssupporting shaft 'f8 or may' be rotated relative'to said shaft to'obtain the Y desired registrations of the first and second printingimpress-ions. Adjustment of .roll 80 lengthwiseof its'supportin shaft;'or'tran'sversely of the platen is achievedbylooseningthelock nut 9'4,rotating the-nut 9E, and 'tighteningthelock nut 94. Rotative adjustmentof the roll relative to sha'ft lfl in ordertolongitudinally orient thesecond printin impressionwith'the-iirst impression onthe tapeis achievedby loosening lock nut 94, turning the roll 89 in the desired-direction,and tightening the lock'nut. Itwill be notedithat the keying of washerst6* andSB to sha'ftltserves to prevent rotative movement of the roll 00relative to-shaft It! "while *thenuts "94 andSB are being loosened ortightened.

'Fromthe foregoing description, it'will'be'seen that the subjectprinting apparatus "embodies novel means. .for 'znoving and adjusting,the printingassemblies as units relativeto the platan and for adjustablyregisteringia printing roll with respectto either the .tape' to. beprinted, or another printingroll, andivhile a preferred embodiment ofthe.apparatus has'been shown and described it is. to be understood thatall substantial equivalents of said emhodimentare withithe scope of.the. invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A machine of the class described comprising a support frame, ahorizontally disposed carriage bed carried by said frame, a pair ofoppositely disposed spaced parallel post members extending upwardly fromsaid frame, a shaft journalled for support in said post members, acylindrical platen secured to said shaft, a carriage support plateconnected to said carriage bed for horizontal sliding movement thereontoward and away from said platen, screw shaft means interconnecting saidsupport plate and bed and rotatably operable to adjustably move saidplate with respect to said bed, a carriage base plate superposed on saidsupport plate and connected to said support plate for pivotal movementwith respect thereto about a vertical axis by removable bolt means,means carried by said support plate in engagement with said base plateadapted to adjustably secure said base plate in a selected pivotalattitude with respect to said support plate, a pair of spaced parallelcarriage wall plate elements extending upwardly from the side edges ofsaid base plate and fixedly carried thereby, a first shaft journalledfor rotation in said wall plate elements, an inking roll secured to saidshaft, a pair of parallel oppositely disposed lever arms pivotallyconnected at their lower ends to said wall plate elements and havingtheir common pivotal axis disposed between said platen shaft and saidinking roll shaft and at a lower level than said inking roll shaft, ashaft journalled in the upper ends of said lever arms, a printing rollsecured to said shaft, and set screw means carried by said wall plateelements and connected to said lever arms adapted to adjustably rocksaid arms toward and away from said inking roll and away from and towardsaid platen.

2. A machine of the class described comprising a support frame, ahorizontally disposed carriage bed carried by said frame, a pair ofoppositely disposed spaced parallel post members extending upwardly fromsaid frame, a shaft journalled for support in said post members, acylindrical platen secured to said shaft, a carriage support plateconnected to said carriage bed for horizontal sliding movement thereontoward and away from said platen, screw shaft means interconnecting saidsupport plate and bed and rotatably operable to adjustably move saidplate with respect to said bed, a carriage base plate superposed on saidsupport plate and connected to said support plate for pivotal movementwith respect thereto about a vertical axis; by removable bolt means,means carried by said support plate in engagement with said base plateadapted to adjustably secure said base plate in a selected pivotalattitude with respect to said support plate, a pair of spaced parallelcarriage wall plate elements extending upwardly from the side edges ofsaid base plate and fixedly carried thereby, a first shaft journalledfor rotation in said wall plate elements, an inking roll secured to saidshaft, a pair of parallel oppositely disposed lever arms pivotallyconnected at their lower ends to said wall plate elements and havingtheir common pivotal axis disposed between said platen shaft and saidinking roll shaft and at a lower level than said inking roll shaft, ashaft journalled in the upper ends of said lever arms, a printing rollsecured to said shaft, means securing said printing roll to said shaftfor selectively adjustable movement endwise thereof and for selectivelyadjustable turning movement thereon, and set screw means carried by saidwall plate elements and connected to said lever arms adapted toadjustably rock said arms toward and away from said inking roll and awayfrom and toward said platen.

G. G. THOMPSON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 7Number Name Date 1,328,842 Marquardt Jan. 27, 1920 1,802,038 SpringsteadApr. 21, 1931 2,229,226 Scott et a1. Jan. 21, 1941 2,258,653 KlingelfussOct. 14, 1941 2,405,795 Luehrs Aug. 13, 1946

